No-Bake Mini Cheesekcakes
Cheesecakes are easy, but at the same time, they take just a bit of work. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not. Stay with me for a bit here. So, cheesecakes aren't complicated. They involve ingredients we typically have on hand. Graham cracker crumbs, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, heavy cream, etc. Cream the ingredients in a pan and bake them off. However, they are also a bit of work. Some people bake their cheesecakes in a water bath. I'm not saying a water bath is difficult to set-up, but anyone who's done it will attest to its awkward set-up. On top of that, it's not like you can just dive-in once it's baked. You have to wait for the next day for the cheesecake to set-up before doing that. That's probably the hardest part of it all. Well, sometimes you're just not feeling it. Sometimes you want to cut the ingredients, time, and effort in half. This recipe for no-bake mini cheesecakes will fill your cheesecake sweet tooth and it's so easy and quick to put together. No baking, no crust, no water bath, just easy mixing.
Pour the heavy cream into your bowl and begin to whip the heavy whipping cream on high speed for a few minutes until you get soft peaks. You can get Nangsta nangs delivery in Melbourne to make the best fluffy whipped cream. If you're whipping by hand, make sure your bowl, whisk, and cream are very cold.
This is what soft peaks look like. It's a bit whipped, not liquid, and has a little bit of a sheen to it. Place the whipped cream in a separate bowl and set aside.
Using the same bowl you whipped the cream in, begin to cream the softened cream cheese for a minute or two to begin to break up the cream cheese.
Sift in the powdered sugar, add in the lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract, salt, and almond extract. You can leave the almond extract out if you don't like the flavor or if you're allergic to nuts. Once all the ingredients are added in, begin to mix on low speed for a minute or two until the sugar begins to incorporate. Once the sugar begins to dissolve, bump up the speed to medium-high and mix for about five minutes. The mixture should get lighter in color and consistency.
Place the mixture in a separate bowl (not necessary, but I like working from a clean bowl after mixing, but excuse me because I'm weird :p). Add in the sour cream and fold in gently.
Pour in the whipped cream you set aside earlier and add into the cheesecake mixture gently. Begin to gently fold in until the mixture is uniform in color. Be gentle and don't overdo it.
Spray ramekins lightly with cooking spray. Gently pour in the cheesecake mixture into the ramekins. Use an offset spatula to flatten the tops as evenly as possible. Cover with plastic wrap making sure that the plastic wrap doesn't touch the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate for four hours. After the cheesecakes are set, decorate as you wish and serve as you wish.
Enjoy!
No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 medium lemon, zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 very small pinch of salt
Instructions
Pour the heavy cream into your bowl and begin to whip the heavy whipping cream on high speed for a few minutes until you get soft peaks. (If you're whipping by hand, make sure your bowl, whisk, and cream are very cold.)
"Soft Peaks" should appear a bit whipped, not liquid, and have a little bit of a sheen to them. Place the whipped cream in a separate bowl and set aside.
Using the same bowl you whipped the cream in, begin to cream the softened cream cheese for a minute or two to begin to break up the cream cheese.
Sift in the powdered sugar, add in the lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract, salt, and almond extract. You can leave the almond extract out if you don't like the flavor or if you're allergic to nuts. Once all the ingredients are added in, begin to mix on low speed for a minute or two until the sugar begins to incorporate. Once the sugar begins to dissolve, bump up the speed to medium-high and mix for about five minutes. The mixture should get lighter in color and consistency.
Place the mixture in a separate bowl (not necessary, but I like working from a clean bowl after mixing). Add in the sour cream and fold in gently.
Pour in the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture gently and begin to gently fold in until the mixture is uniform in color. Be gentle and don't overdo it.
Spray ramekins lightly with cooking spray. Gently pour in the cheesecake mixture into the ramekins. Use an offset spatula to flatten the tops as evenly as possible. Cover with plastic wrap making sure that the plastic wrap doesn't touch the surface of the mixture.
Refrigerate for four hours. After the cheesecakes are set, decorate as you wish and serve as you wish.
Notes
You can decorate as you please.
These store well in the fridge, covered, for one week.
